The moon was high in the sky. Finally, the moment had arrived.
It was 11:30 PM, the exact time when Xianzong was about to turn off the lights.
She estimated there wouldn’t be many people left on the streets.
It was time to head out.
The goal: go to the nearby pill shop to buy medicinal ingredients and stop by the supermarket for some food.
Su Mumu had already donned a large black robe. The wide hood covered her head, hiding her fox ears. The hem of the robe trailed across the floor, concealing her tail.
Her entire appearance was like that of an evil old hag mage from an anime. Of course, that was only if her face remained hidden.
Oh, right — she had handmade this outfit herself.
In a moment of boredom, she had patched together some black cloth she bought on sale from a tailor shop, turning it into a robe.
She had originally intended to sell it on the Xianzong anonymous wall, but who would have thought that no one would buy it!
She could only say… she was lucky back then!
After a brief moment of mental preparation, Su Mumu grabbed her phone and gingerly pushed open the door.
In the courtyard, there was nothing but an old banyan tree. Thick, gnarled roots spread across the soil in a complex web.
Su Mumu skillfully avoided the uneven ground. She pushed open the garden gate and, still feeling uneasy, pulled her hood lower to ensure most of her face was covered.
She looked left and right; the path was deserted.
Her destination was the nearby pill shop.
It was so late; she hoped it hadn’t closed yet…
Along the way, Su Mumu looked back every three steps, terrified that something unexpected might happen.
After walking for a while, she realized she was overthinking. There was no one around. Everyone had gone to sleep at this hour since they had classes tomorrow!
The pill shop wasn’t far.
When Su Mumu arrived, the shop was just about to close.
She hurried over. “Hello, I’d like to buy some medicinal herbs!”
The female clerk was startled for a moment. “This… Miss? What’s with the outfit?”
“There are reasons, but it’s not convenient to disclose them,” Su Mumu said, her voice tinged with nervousness.
“I see…” The clerk thought for a moment. “I understand! You’re one of the students going on the Demon King subjugation, right? That’s why you’re dressed like this?”
“Huh?” Su Mumu was stunned for a second but quickly recovered. “That’s right.”
“It’s thanks to all of you that Xianzong is safe and the villages outside are secure! I’m also from a village at the foot of the mountain…” the clerk said. “Buy whatever you need. Everything is 50% off!”
“Oh, don’t be modest!”
Under the clerk’s enthusiasm, Su Mumu accepted the reward.
In the end, she still insisted on paying the full price during checkout.
‘Ugh, my wallet is even emptier now. I’m going to cry.’
Afterward, Su Mumu bought some basic medical supplies, which the pill shop also happened to sell.
However, the supermarket was already closed.
Su Mumu had no choice but to give up on buying food.
Carrying a bag of herbs and medical supplies, she began her return journey.
Suddenly, a faint sound reached her ears from a nearby tavern.
Su Mumu immediately became alert. She dashed into a nearby thicket and crouched down, leaving only her eyes — which glowed in the night — to peer at the tavern.
[Jiulewu]
***
Under the dim lighting, the door slowly swung open.
“Seriously! We let that Demon King escape! It’s all that dead weight’s fault!”
“The homeroom teacher insisted on putting us in a group with her. I don’t get it. People like that should be sent to the remedial classes!”
“One year has passed and she’s still this useless. I’m so done. Every time we team up, she drags me down!”
The students complained as they walked away. There were both boys and girls.
Su Mumu didn’t recognize any of them.
Hidden beneath her hood, her fox ears twitched involuntarily.
‘Are they talking about…?’
A moment later, the last guest walked out of the tavern.
Su Mumu’s eyes widened.
It was her best friend… Jiang Mengxin.
Today, she was wearing a long, jade-green dress with her hair tied in a bun. She looked adorable and quirky.
However, her expression was filled with sorrow.
She swayed back and forth, her balance unsteady. Was she drunk?
Su Mumu almost rushed out of the bushes instantly.
But a string in her mind snapped tight. She suppressed the impulse.
Instead, Su Mumu quickly pulled out her phone and sent a message.
— AAA Infrastructure Demon Su Mumu: Xin-xin, good evening.
After sending the text, Su Mumu quickly looked up to watch Jiang Mengxin’s every move.
The younger student in the green dress looked as if she had lost her soul. She pulled her phone from her pocket, stared at it for a long time, and then slowly tapped the screen.
A vibration.
Su Mumu looked down at her phone.
— Jiang Mengxin Hits Good Luck: Yeah, good evening.
‘Ugh… such a cold reply.’
Su Mumu’s brow furrowed. She typed quickly and hit send.
— AAA Infrastructure Demon Su Mumu: Do you want to play a ranked match together later? I’ll carry you!
— Jiang Mengxin Hits Good Luck: No, I want to get some rest early.
Su Mumu’s heart sank.
Connecting the dots with the students who had just left, she quickly understood what had happened.
Jiang Mengxin had messed up again…
But that was normal. After all, she was facing a monster — such a terrifying creature. And this time, it was supposedly a Demon King…
Su Mumu muttered to herself. She thought for a bit and typed again.
— AAA Infrastructure Demon Su Mumu: Are you home yet? It’s really late.
On the other side, Jiang Mengxin stared at her phone for a long time before putting it back into her pocket.
She slowly crouched down, curling herself into a ball.
She looked like a moldy cake. Rain was falling outside the eaves. The rain was heavy, splashing against the cake, making the cream dissolve and the bread crumble until it became even worse.
This image inexplicably popped into Su Mumu’s mind.
Her frown deepened.
Jiang Mengxin’s state of mind was not right.
From the time Su Mumu had met her until now, she had never seen her drink.
She quickly sent another message.
— AAA Infrastructure Demon Su Mumu: Xin-xin? Are you there?
Jiang Mengxin sent a sloppy two-word reply.
— Jiang Mengxin Hits Good Luck: On my way.
Then, before Su Mumu’s eyes, Jiang Mengxin slowly stood up. She stumbled along with uneven steps, swaying precariously. This was too dangerous!
Su Mumu wanted to rush out of the bushes again.
But once again, the string of logic held tight.
‘In my current appearance… Xin-xin won’t recognize me.’
‘I can’t go over there.’
‘But I have to go over…’
Su Mumu’s mind was in a state of chaos.
The next moment, Jiang Mengxin stumbled and fell hard onto the cold stone pavement.
The phone in her pocket flew out.
She started to cry.
Her voice was choked with sobs, sounding fragile. In the quiet night, it was incredibly piercing.
“It’s all my fault…”
“I couldn’t buy enough time…”
“I’m… too weak.”
“I’m… useless.”
“I couldn’t… live up to Mumu’s expectations.”
Jiang Mengxin rubbed at her tears, talking to herself.
Her long dress was pushed up, revealing knees covered in blood. The wounds looked particularly vivid under the moonlight.
“One year has passed, and I still can’t do anything…”
“Maybe… I’m just not suited for this…”
When your best friend shows such a side of themselves, could you still just sit back and watch?
Su Mumu’s body moved faster than her brain.
By the time her string of logic tightened again, she was already standing in front of Jiang Mengxin.
Even she hadn’t realized she had moved.
Under the moonlight, the eyes of the person in the black robe were full of confusion and heartache.
As if sensing something, Jiang Mengxin looked up, her expression stunned and vacant. “Who are you?”
👀👀👀